Reading Frostbite
by countryheart
Summary: The characters sit down and continue to read the series. Lissa, Janine, and Rose are all pregnant. What will everyone think about Rose's thoughts and what happens in the books. Hope you enjoy! Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**AN: **I'm going to start off with Rose's POV, but I promise there will be other's POVs. If there is anyone's in particular that you want to read then just let me know. Here's the first chapter. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Academy or any of the characters in the story.

**Chapter 1**

So it's been a month since we finished reading _Vampire Academy, _and I've finally got the hang of controlling the darkness while being pregnant. I can't control the hormones, but at least the darkness won't take over again. In case ever do have problems controlling the darkness Sonya B., Adrian, and Lissa have all made sure that both Lissa and I have a charmed ring on which makes controlling the darkness like 100 times easier.

The doctor came in yesterday to do another check-up on us, and all of our babies are doing great. My mom found out she is having twins, a boy and a girl. She's 7 months pregnant now, and she's huge, which makes sense since she is having twins. Lissa and Christian are going to have a girl, which they decided will be name Nadia Rose Ozera. She is 6 months pregnant now, just like me. We are both starting to get big, but I'm still a little bigger. The doctor told Dimitri and I that our baby was laying the wrong way, and that she couldn't tell. She did tell me some things that could help move the baby so we could tell next time. I've been pushing on my stomach a lot trying to get it to move. I really want to know what it is, and I think I'm getting on everyone's nerves about it. I can't help it. I'm a very impatient person.

Today we start reading again. None of us are happy about seeing Tasha again, but it must be done. So here we are sitting in the living room waiting for Tasha, and the guards. What felt like a lifetime later they finally got here, and we started reading.

"I'll read first," I said, "Prologue."

**Things die.**

"Really? I didn't know that," Christian replied sarcastically.

"Shut it Pyro before I make you," I threatened.

**But they don't always stay dead.**

"You would know," Eddie stated.

**Believe me, I know.**

**There's a race of vampires on this earth who are literally the walking dead. They're called Strigoi, and if you're not already having nightmares about them, you should be. They're strong, they're fast, and they kill without mercy or hesitation. They're immortal, too which kind of makes them a bitch to destroy. There are only three ways to do it: a silver stake through the heart, decapitation, and setting them on fire. None of those is easy to pull off, but it's better than having no options at all.**

"We know this already," Christian announced.

"No duh smartass. That's what a prologue does, tell us what we already know," I responded.

"When do we get to the story," Adrian complained.

"The faster you guys shut up, the faster we get to Chapter 1," I answered.

**There are also good vampires walking the world. They're called Moroi. They're alive, and they possess the incredibly cool power to wield magic in each of the four elements earth, air, water, and fire.**

"Spirit," the spirit users reminded.

"I know, I'm getting there," I replied.

**(Well, most Moroi can do this but I'll explain more about the exceptions later). They don't really use the magic for much anymore, which is kind of sad. It'd be a great weapon, but the Moroi strongly believe magic should only be used peacefully.**

"That's starting to change," Lissa said happily.

**It's one of the biggest rules in their society. Moroi are also usually tall and slim, and they can't handle a lot of sunlight. But they do have superhuman senses that make up for it: sight, smell, and hearing.**

**Both kinds of vampires need blood. That's what makes them vampires, I guess. Moroi don't kill to take it, however. Instead, they keep humans around who willingly donate small amounts. They volunteer because vampire bites contain endorphins that feel really, really good and can become addictive. I know this from personal experience. These humans are called feeders and are essentially vampire-bite junkies.**

**Still, keeping feeders around is better than the way the Strigoi do things, because, as you might expect, they kill for their blood. I think they like it. If a Moroi kills a victim while drinking, he or she will turn into a Strigoi. Some Moroi do this by choice, giving up their magic and their morals for immortality. Strigoi can also be created by force. If a Strigoi drinks blood from a victim and then makes that person drink Strigoi blood in return, well...you get a new Strigoi. This can happen to anyone: Moroi, human, or ... dhampir.**

Dimitri flinched. I squeezed his hand for reassurance that I was here, and it's in the past.

**Dhampir.**

"Dhampir," Eddie repeated.

"What?" I asked confused along with everyone else.

"The book repeated it so I wanted to feel special and repeat it," he explained.

We all laughed at his response.

**That's what I am. Dhampirs are half-human, half-Moroi. I like to think we got the best traits of both races. I'm strong and sturdy, like humans are. I can also go out in the sun as much as I want. But, like the Moroi, I have really good senses and fast reflexes. The result is that dhampirs make the ultimate bodyguards which is what most of us are. We're called guardians.**

**I've spent my entire life training to protect Moroi from Strigoi. I have a whole set of special classes and practices I take at St. Vladimir's Academy, a private school for Moroi and dhampirs. I know how to use all sorts of weapons and can land some pretty mean kicks. I've beaten up guys twice my size both in and out of class. And really, guys are pretty much the only ones I beat up, since there are very few girls in any of my classes.**

**Because while dhampirs inherit all sorts of great traits, there's one thing we didn't get. Dhampirs can't have children with other dhampirs.**

"Well you guys proved them wrong," Vik laughed.

I rubbed my stomach and smiled before Dimitri placed his hand over mine smiling.

**Don't ask me why. It's not like I'm a geneticist or anything. Humans and Moroi getting together will always make more dhampirs; that's where we came from in the first place. But that doesn't happen so much anymore; Moroi tend to stay away from humans. Through another weird genetic fluke, however, Moroi and dhampirs mixing will create dhampir children. I know, I know: it's crazy. You'd think you'd get a baby that's three-quarters vampire, right? Nope. Half human, half Moroi.**

"What do you think your guys' baby will be?" Jill asked.

"I don't know," I answered, "You would think another dhampir, but seeing as how Moroi and dhampirs make more dhampirs then that could be wrong."

**Most of these dhampirs are born from Moroi men and dhampir women getting together. Moroi women stick to having Moroi babies. What this usually means is that Moroi men have flings with dhampir women and then take off. This leaves a lot of single dhampir mothers, and that's why not as many of them become guardians. They'd rather focus on raising their children.**

"What will you do?" Mia asked.

"I don't know," I replied, "We'll figure it out when the time comes."

**As a result, only the guys and a handful of girls are left to become guardians. But those who choose to protect Moroi are serious about their jobs. Dhampirs need Moroi to keep having kids. We have to protect them. Plus, it's just...well, it's the honorable thing to do. Strigoi are evil and unnatural. It isn't right for them to prey on the innocent. Dhampirs who train to be guardians have this drilled into them from the time they can walk. Strigoi are evil. Moroi must be protected. Guardians believe this. I believe this.**

**And there's one Moroi I want to protect more than anyone in the world:**

"I wonder who," Adrian stated sarcastically.

**my best friend, Lissa. She's a Moroi princess. The Moroi have twelve royal families, and she's the only one left in hers the Dragomirs. But there's something else that makes Lissa special, aside from her being my best friend.**

"Conceded much," Christian joked.

"No," I responded.

**Remember when I said every Moroi wields one of the four elements? Well, it turns out Lissa wields one no one even knew existed until recently: spirit. For years, we thought she just wasn't going to develop her magical abilities. Then strange things started happening around her. For example, all vampires have an ability called compulsion that lets them force their will on others. Strigoi have it really strongly. It's weaker in Moroi, and it's also forbidden. Lissa, however, has it almost as much as a Strigoi. She can bat her eyelashes, and people will do what she wants.**

**But that's not even the coolest thing she can do.**

**I said earlier that dead things don't always stay dead. Well, I'm one of them. Don't worry I'm not like the Strigoi. But I did die once. (I don't recommend it.)**

"Thanks for letting us know. I was just thinking about going to do just that," Christian interrupted sarcastically.

**It happened when the car I was riding in slid off the road. The accident killed me, Lissa's parents, and her brother.**

Christian pulled her to him in comfort.

**Yet, somewhere in the chaos without even realizing it Lissa used spirit to bring me back. We didn't know about this for a long time. In fact, we didn't even know spirit existed at all.**

**Unfortunately, it turned out that one person did know about spirit before we did. Victor Dashkov, a dying Moroi prince, found out about Lissa's powers and decided he wanted to lock her up and make her his own personal healer for the rest of her life. When I realized someone was stalking her, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I broke us out of school to run off and live among humans. It was fun but also kind of nerve-wracking to always be on the run. We got away with this for two years until the authorities at St. Vladimir's hunted us down and dragged us back a few months ago.**

**That was when Victor made his real move, kidnapping her and torturing her until she gave into his demands. In the process, he took some pretty extreme measures like zapping me and Dimitri, my mentor, with a lust spell. (I'll get to him later).**

Dimitri chuckled next to me while doing that cool one eyebrow thingy. I am so jealous. I can't do it, and anytime I try I end up looking like an idiot.

**Victor also exploited the way spirit was starting to make Lissa mentally unstable. But even that wasn't as bad as what he did to his own daughter Natalie. He went so far as to encourage her to turn into a Strigoi to help cover his escape. She ended up getting staked. Even when captured after the fact, Victor didn't seem to display too much guilt over what he'd asked her to do. Makes me think I wasn't missing out on growing up without a father.**

"Hey," my dad exclaimed.

"Sorry," I apologized, "I didn't know you yet daddy."

His look softened after I called him daddy.

**Still, I now have to protect Lissa from Strigoi and Moroi. Only a few officials know about what she can do, but I'm sure there are other Victors out there who would want to use her. Fortunately, I have an extra weapon to help me guard her. Somewhere during my healing in the car accident, spirit forged a psychic bond between her and me. I can see and feel what she experiences. (It only works one way, though. **

"Not anymore," we squealed together.

**She can't "feel" me.)**

"I can now," I smiled.

**The bond helps me keep an eye on her and know when she's in trouble, although sometimes, it's weird having another person inside your head. We're pretty sure there are lots of other things spirit can do, but we don't know what they are yet.**

"We are still learning, but we have learned quite a lot," Sonya K. said.

**In the meantime, I'm trying to be the best guardian I can be. Running away put me behind in my training, so I have to take extra classes to make up for lost time. There's nothing in the world I want more than to keep Lissa safe. Unfortunately, I've got two things that complicate my training now and then. One is that I sometimes act before I think. I'm getting better at avoiding this, but when something sets me off, I tend to punch first and then find out who I actually hit later. When it comes to those I care about being in danger...well, rules seem optional.**

"They always seem optional to you," Eddie joked making me stick my tongue out at him.

**The other problem in my life is Dimitri.**

"So I'm a problem?" he teased.

"Not now, but you were then," I replied kissing him.

**He's the one who killed Natalie, and he's a total badass. He's also pretty good-looking.**

"Just good-looking?" he teased again.

"Wait a second," I responded.

**Okay more than good-looking. He's hot like, the kind of hot that makes you stop walking on the street and get hit by traffic.**

Everyone laughed at my description.

**But, like I said, he's my instructor. And he's twenty-four. Both of those are reasons why I shouldn't have fallen for him. But, honestly, the most important reason is that he and I will be Lissa's guardians when she graduates.**

"How did you not think of that before I told you?" Dimitri asked.

"I don't know," I answered.

**If he and I are checking each other out, then that means we aren't looking out for her.**

**I haven't had much luck in getting over him, and I'm pretty sure he still feels the same about me.**

"Of course," I whispered in my ear.

**Part of what makes it so difficult is that he and I got pretty hot and heavy when we got hit with the lust spell. Victor had wanted to distract us while he kidnapped Lissa, and it had worked. I'd been ready to give up my virginity, and Dimitri had been ready to take it.**

I looked up at Tasha remembering what I said to her before she left last time. The look on her face was priceless. She was pissed, and I couldn't help but feel smug about it.

**At the last minute, we broke the spell, but those memories are always with me and make it kind of hard to focus on combat moves sometimes.**

**By the way, my name's Rose Hathaway. I'm seventeen years old, training to protect and kill vampires, in love with a completely unsuitable guy, and have a best friend whose weird magic could drive her crazy.**

**Hey, no one said high school was easy.**

"That's because it's not," Christian stated.

"Who wants to read the first chapter?" I asked.

"I will," Lissa answered "Chapter 1."

**I DIDN'T THINK MY DAY could get any worse until my best friend told me she might be going crazy. Again.**

"I didn't say that," Lissa remarked.

"Close enough," I accused.

**"I... what did you say?"**

**I stood in the lobby of her dorm, leaning over one of my boots and adjusting it. Jerking my head up, I peered at her through the tangle of dark hair covering half my face. I'd fallen asleep after school and had skipped using a hairbrush in order to make it out the door on time.**

"And it still didn't work," Dimitri teased.

"Hey I wouldn't be Rose if I wasn't late," I exclaimed.

**Lissa's platinum blond hair was smooth and perfect, of course, hanging over her shoulders like a bridal veil as she watched me with amusement.**

**"I said that I think my pills might not be working as well anymore."**

**I straightened up and shook the hair out of my face. "What does that mean?" I asked. Around us, Moroi hurried past, on their way to meet friends or go to dinner.**

**"Have you started ..." I lowered my voice. "Have you started getting your powers back?"**

**She shook her head, and I saw a small flash of regret in her eyes. "No ... I feel closer to the magic, but I still can't use it. Mostly what I'm noticing lately is a little of the other stuff, you know...I'm getting more depressed now and then. Nothing even close to what it used to be," she added hastily, seeing my face. Before she'd gone on her pills, Lissa's moods could get so low that she cut herself. "It's just there a little more than it was."**

**"What about the other things you used to get? Anxiety? Delusional thinking?"**

**Lissa laughed, not taking any of this as seriously as I was. "You sound like you've been reading psychiatry textbooks."**

"Rose reading, yea right," Eddie snorted.

**I actually had been reading them.**

Everyone looked at me shocked.

"What," I asked.

"You willingly read a book?" Eddie asked.

"Yes, so?" I replied.

"Rose, you never read," Adrian elaborated.

"Well this was a must. I was trying to protect Lissa," I explained.

"That makes more sense," Eddie muttered.

**"I'm just worried about you. If you think the pills aren't working anymore, we need to tell someone."**

**"No, no," she said hastily. "I'm fine, really. They're still working...just not quite as much. I don't think we should panic yet. Especially you not today, at least."**

"Why not today?" Vik asked.

"You're fixing to find out," I answered.

**Her change in subject worked. I'd found out an hour ago that I would be taking my Qualifier today.**

"Oh," Vik mouthed.

**It was an exam or rather, an interview all novice guardians were required to pass during junior year at St. Vladimir's Academy. Since I'd been off hiding Lissa last year, I'd missed mine. Today I was being taken to a guardian somewhere off-campus who would administer the test to me. Thanks for the notice, guys.**

"You're welcome," Alberta chuckled.

**"Don't worry about me," Lissa repeated, smiling. "I'll let you know if it gets worse."**

**"Okay," I said reluctantly.**

**Just to be safe, though, I opened my senses and allowed myself to truly feel her through our psychic bond.**

"Rose," Lissa whined.

"I'm sorry. I had to make sure you were telling the truth. You sometimes lie or make it seem like less of a deal with something to make sure not to cause a problem for anyone else," I defended.

**She had been telling the truth. She was calm and happy this morning, nothing to worry about. But, far back in her mind, I sensed a knot of dark, uneasy feelings. It wasn't consuming her or anything, but it had the same feel as the bouts of depression and anger she used to get. It was only a trickle, but I didn't like it. I didn't want it there at all. I tried pushing farther inside her to get a better feel for the emotions and suddenly had the weird experience of touching. A sickening sort of feeling seized me, and I jerked out of her head. A small shudder ran through my body.**

"You took the darkness," Adrian explained.

"I know that now," I retorted.

**"You okay?" Lissa asked, frowning. "You look nauseous all of a sudden."**

**"Just...nervous for the test," I lied. Hesitantly, I reached out through the bond again. The darkness had completely disappeared. No trace. Maybe there was nothing wrong with her pills after all. "I'm fine."**

**She pointed at a clock. "You won't be if you don't get moving soon."**

**"Damn it," I swore. She was right. I gave her a quick hug. "See you later!"**

**"Good luck!" she called.**

**I hurried off across campus and found my mentor, Dimitri Belikov, waiting beside a Honda Pilot.**

"Bor-ing," I drew out making everyone laugh.

**How boring. I supposed I couldn't have expected us to navigate Montana mountain roads in a Porsche, but it would have been nice to have something cooler.**

**"I know, I know," I said, seeing his face. "Sorry I'm late."**

**I remembered then that I had one of the most important tests of my life coming up, and suddenly, I forgot all about Lissa and her pills possibly not working.**

"Thanks Rose," Lissa faked hurt.

**I wanted to protect her, but that wouldn't mean much if I couldn't pass high school and actually become her guardian.**

"Good point," she responded.

**Dimitri stood there, looking as gorgeous as ever. The massive, brick building cast long shadows over us, looming like some great beast in the dusky predawn light. Around us, snow was just beginning to fall. I watched the light, crystalline flakes drift gently down. Several landed and promptly melted in his dark hair.**

**"Who else is going?" I asked.**

**He shrugged. "Just you and me."**

"Uh oh. What's going to happen on this trip?" Adrian teased.

"Nothing," I answered.

**My mood promptly shot up past "cheerful" and went straight to "ecstatic."**

"It doesn't seem like nothing," Adrian persisted.

"Well it was nothing," I replied.

**Me and Dimitri. Alone. In a car. This might very well be worth a surprise test.**

**"How far away is it?" Silently, I begged for it to be a really long drive. Like, one that would take a week. And would involve us staying overnight in luxury hotels. Maybe we'd get stranded in a snowbank, and only body heat would keep us alive.**

"Eww! Mental image, mental image," Vik whined.

**"Five hours."**

**"Oh."**

**A bit less than I'd hoped for. Still, five hours was better than nothing. It didn't rule out the snowbank possibility, either.**

**The dim, snowy roads would have been difficult for humans to navigate, but they proved no problem for our dhampir eyes. I stared ahead, trying not to think about how Dimitri's aftershave filled the car with a clean, sharp scent that made me want to melt. Instead, I tried to focus on the Qualifier again.**

**It wasn't the kind of thing you could study for. You either passed it or you didn't. High-up guardians visited novices during their junior year and met individually to discuss students' commitment to being guardians. I didn't know exactly what was asked, but rumors had trickled down over the years. The older guardians assessed character and dedication, and some novices had been deemed unfit to continue down the guardian path.**

"So they just spent their entire lives training and learning to be guardians, and then they just can't," Sydney asked.

"Yea pretty much," I answered.

**"Don't they usually come to the Academy?" I asked Dimitri. "I mean, I'm all for the field trip, but why are we going to them?"**

**"Actually, you're just going to a him, not a them." A light Russian accent laced Dimitri's words, the only indication of where he'd grown up. Otherwise, I was pretty sure he spoke English better than I did.**

Dimitri chuckled.

"It's not too hard to talk better English than you Rose," Eddie teased.

"Shut up," I grumbled.

**"Since this is a special case and he's doing us the favor, we're the ones making the trip."**

**"Who is he?"**

**"Arthur Schoenberg."**

Everyone who didn't know he was supposed to test me gasped.

**I jerked my gaze from the road to Dimitri.**

**"What?" I squeaked.**

**Arthur Schoenberg was a legend. He was one of the greatest Strigoi slayers in living guardian history and used to be the head of the Guardians Council the group of people who assigned guardians to Moroi and made decisions for all of us. He'd eventually retired and gone back to protecting one of the royal families, the Badicas. Even retired, I knew he was still lethal. His exploits were part of my curriculum.**

"Does the thing I'm thinking going to happen in this book?" Christian asked.

"I think so," I answered sadly thinking about us being captured, and Mason being killed.

"What happens?" Vik probed.

"You'll find out," I responded.

**"Wasn't... wasn't there anyone else available?" I asked in a small voice.**

**I could see Dimitri hiding a smile. "You'll be fine. Besides, if Art approves of you, that's a great recommendation to have on your record."**

"It really would have been," my mom told me.

**Art. Dimitri was on a first-name basis with one of the most badass guardians around. Of course, Dimitri was pretty badass himself, so I shouldn't have been surprised.**

**Silence fell in the car. I bit my lip, suddenly wondering if I'd be able to meet Arthur Schoenberg's standards. My grades were good, but things like running away and getting into fights at school might cast a shadow on how serious I was about my future career.**

**"You'll be fine," Dimitri repeated. "The good in your record outweighs the bad."**

"That is how you can tell you two belong together. You guys know each other better than you know yourself, and you guys always know what the other is thinking," Vik gushed.

Dimitri and I smiled at each other knowing how true that was. He gave me a quick, yet passionate kiss.

**It was like he could read my mind sometimes. I smiled a little and dared to peek at him. It was a mistake. A long, lean body, obvious even while sitting. Bottomless dark eyes. Shoulder-length brown hair tied back at his neck. That hair felt like silk. I knew because I'd run my fingers through it when Victor Dashkov had ensnared us with the lust charm. With great restraint, I forced myself to start breathing again and look away.**

**"Thanks, Coach," I teased, snuggling back into the seat.**

**"I'm here to help," he replied. His voice was light and relaxed rare for him. He was usually wound up tightly, ready for any attack. Probably he figured he was safe inside a Honda or at least as safe as he could be around me.**

Everyone laughed at that thought.

**I wasn't the only one who had trouble ignoring the romantic tension between us.**

"Of course you weren't. It was torture trying to deny you," Dimitri whispered in my ear.

**"You know what would really help?" I asked, not meeting his eyes.**

**"Hmm?"**

**"If you turned off this crap music and put on something that came out after the Berlin Wall went down."**

Everyone laughed again.

**Dimitri laughed. "Your worst class is history, yet somehow, you know everything about Eastern Europe."**

**"Hey, gotta have material for my jokes, Comrade."**

**Still smiling, he turned the radio dial. To a country station.**

**"Hey! This isn't what I had in mind," I exclaimed.**

**I could tell he was on the verge of laughing again.**

"I really was," he laughed.

**"Pick. It's one or the other."**

**I sighed. "Go back to the 1980s stuff."**

"You have horrible taste in music," I told him.

"No you just can't appreciate a good song," he laughed.

**He flipped the dial, and I crossed my arms over my chest as some vaguely European-sounding band sang about how video had killed the radio star. I wished someone would kill this radio.**

Everyone burst into laughter at that thought. It took a few minutes before we could continue to read.

**Suddenly, five hours didn't seem as short as I'd thought.**

**Arthur and the family he protected lived in a small town along I-90, not far from Billings. The general Moroi opinion was split on places to live. Some argued that big cities were the best since they allowed vampires to be lost in the crowds; nocturnal activities didn't raise so much attention. Other Moroi, like this family, apparently, opted for less populated towns, believing that if there were fewer people to notice you, then you were less likely to be noticed.**

**I'd convinced Dimitri to stop for food at a twenty-four-hour diner along the way, and between that and stopping to buy gas, it was around noon when we arrived. The house was built in a rambler style, all one level with gray-stained wood siding and big bay windows tinted to block sunlight, of course. It looked new and expensive, and even out in the middle of nowhere, it was about what I'd expected for members of a royal family.**

**I jumped down from the Pilot, my boots sinking through an inch of smooth snow and crunching on the gravel of the driveway. The day was still and silent, save for the occasional breath of wind. Dimitri and I walked up to the house, following a river rock sidewalk that cut through the front yard. I could see him sliding into his business mode, but his overall attitude was as cheery as mine. We'd both taken a kind of guilty satisfaction in the pleasant car ride.**

**My foot slipped on the ice-covered sidewalk,**

"Nobody say a word," I warned.

**and Dimitri instantly reached out to steady me. I had a weird moment of déjá vu, flashing back to the first night we'd met, back when he'd also saved me from a similar fall. Freezing temperatures or not, his hand felt warm on my arm, even through the layers of down in my parka coat.**

"Good," Dimitri whispered in my ear.

**"You okay?" He released his hold, to my dismay.**

**"Yeah," I said, casting accusing eyes at the icy sidewalk. "Haven't these people ever heard of salt?"**

**I meant it jokingly, but Dimitri suddenly stopped walking. I instantly came to a halt too. His expression became tense and alert. He turned his head, eyes searching the broad, white plains surrounding us before settling back on the house. I wanted to ask questions, but something in his posture told me to stay silent. He studied the building for almost a full minute, looked down at the icy sidewalk, then glanced back at the driveway, covered in a sheet of snow broken only by our footprints.**

**Cautiously, he approached the front door, and I followed. He stopped again, this time to study the door. It wasn't open, but it wasn't entirely shut either. It looked like it had been closed in haste, not sealing. Further examination showed scuffs along the door's edge, as though it had been forced at some point.**

The girls and Adrian gasped. They knew what happened to the Badicas, but I'm not sure if they knew we were the ones that found them.

**The slightest nudge would open it. Dimitri lightly ran his fingers along where the door met its frame, his breath making small clouds in the air. When he touched the door's handle it jiggled a little, like it had been broken.**

**Finally, he said quietly, "Rose, go wait in the car."**

"Do you think she is actually going to listen?" Eddie asked.

**"But wh-"**

**"Go."**

**One word but one filled with power. In that single syllable I was reminded of the man I'd seen throw people around and stake a Strigoi. I backed up, walking on the snow-covered lawn rather than risk the sidewalk. Dimitri stood where he was, not moving until I'd slipped back into the car, closing the door as softly as possible.**

"She actually listened?" Eddie was shocked.

**Then, with the gentlest of movements, he pushed on the barely held door and disappeared inside.**

**Burning with curiosity, I counted to ten and then climbed out of the car.**

"There's the Rose we all know and love," Eddie laughed.

My mom just shook her head and sighed.

**I knew better than to go in after him, but I had to know what was going on with this house. The neglected sidewalk and driveway indicated that no one had been home for a couple days, although it could also mean the Badicas simply never left the house. It was possible, I supposed, that they'd been the victims of an ordinary break-in by humans. It was also possible that something had scared them off say, like Strigoi. I knew that possibility was what had made Dimitri's face turn so grim, but it seemed an unlikely scenario with Arthur Schoenberg on duty.**

"Anyone can be over-thrown," my mom pointed out.

"I know," I replied sadly remembering the image of Dimitri being over-taken by Strigoi.

"It's ok Roza. I'm here. You guys saved me. I'm not going anywhere," Dimitri comforted me.

**Standing on the driveway, I glanced up at the sky. The light was bleak and watery, but it was there. Noon. The sun's highest point today. Strigoi couldn't be out in sunlight. I didn't need to fear them, only Dimitri's anger.**

"I would think that would be scary enough," Christian joked.

**I circled around the right side of the house, walking in much deeper snow almost a foot of it. Nothing else weird about the house struck me. Icicles hung from the eaves, and the tinted windows revealed no secrets. My foot suddenly hit something, and I looked down. There, half-buried in the snow, was a silver stake. It had been driven into the ground. I picked it up and brushed off the snow, frowning. What was a stake doing out here? Silver stakes were valuable. They were a guardian's most deadly weapon, capable of killing a Strigoi with a single strike through the heart. When they were forged, four Moroi charmed them with magic from each of the four elements. I hadn't learned to use one yet, but gripping it in my hand, I suddenly felt safer as I continued my survey.**

**A large patio door led from the back of the house to a wooden deck that probably would have been a lot of fun to hang out on in the summer. But the patio's glass had been broken, so much so that a person could easily get through the jagged hole. I crept up the deck steps, careful of the ice, knowing I was going to get in major trouble when Dimitri found out what I was doing. In spite of the cold, sweat poured down my neck.**

**Daylight, daylight, I reminded myself. Nothing to worry about.**

"Anything can happen in the daylight," my mom murmured.

"I know," I retorted.

**I reached the patio and studied the dark glass. I couldn't tell what had broken it. Just inside, snow had blown in and made a small drift on pale blue carpet. I tugged on the door's handle, but it was locked. Not that that mattered with a hole that big. Careful of the sharp edges, I reached through the opening and unlocked the handle's latch from the inside. I removed my hand just as carefully and pulled open the sliding door. It hissed slightly along its tracks, a quiet sound that nonetheless seemed too loud in the eerie silence.**

**I stepped through the doorway, standing in the patch of sunlight that had been cast inside by opening the door. My eyes adjusted from the sun to the dimness within. Wind swirled through the open patio, dancing with the curtains around me. I was in a living room. It had all the ordinary items one might expect. Couches. TV. A rocking chair.**

**And a body.**

**It was a woman. She lay on her back in front of the TV, her dark hair spilling on the floor around her. Her wide eyes stared upward blankly, her face pale too pale even for a Moroi. For a moment I thought her long hair was covering her neck, too, until I realized that the darkness across her skin was blood dried blood. Her throat had been ripped out.**

I felt nauseous at the image replaying in my head. I made it to the bathroom just in time. Dimitri kneeled down behind holding my hair up, and rubbing my back soothingly. After I was done I brushed my teeth before leaning against the counter. Dimitri pulled my face up to look at him.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Yea, it's just that I get nauseous at the smallest thing now, and the images were just replaying in my head. My stomach could handle it," I explained.

"It's ok. That's normal. You ready to go back in there?" he questioned.

"Yes," I answered.

We went back into the living room, and took our seats. Dimitri pulled me into his lap, and rubbed soothing circles on my stomach with one hand while the other was wrapped around my waist. I snuggled closer laying my head on his chest.

**The horrible scene was so surreal that I didn't even realize what I was seeing at first. With her posture, the woman might very well have been sleeping. Then I took in the other body: a man on his side only a couple feet away, dark blood staining the carpet around him. Another body was slumped beside the couch: small, child-size. Across the room was another. And another. There were bodies everywhere, bodies and blood.**

_Dimitri's POV_

I knew Roza's stomach was bothering her with the scene.

"Roza I'll let you know when this part is over. Just don't listen," I whispered.

"Ok thank you," she replied.

I pulled her close to me again, and ran soothing circles on her stomach trying to make her feel better.

**The scale of the death around me suddenly registered, and my heart began pounding. No, no. It wasn't possible. It was day. Bad things couldn't happen in daylight. A scream started to rise in my throat, suddenly halted when a gloved hand came from behind me and closed over my mouth.**

"AHHHH," all the girls screamed.

This made me laugh to myself knowing it was just me.

**I started to struggle; then I smelled Dimitri's aftershave.**

They all let out a sigh of relief.

**"Why," he asked, "don't you ever listen? You'd be dead if they were still here."**

**I couldn't answer, both because of the hand and my own shock. I'd seen someone die once, but I'd never seen death of this magnitude. After almost a minute, Dimitri finally removed his hand, but he stayed close behind me. I didn't want to look anymore, but I seemed unable to drag my eyes away from the scene before me. Bodies everywhere. Bodies and blood.**

That is part of the reason I told her to stay in the car, aside from the danger. I didn't want her to have to see all that. It still bothers her to this day if she thinks about it. Seeing dead bodies isn't something you can ever get used to, but her it becomes less scarring after a while.

**Finally, I turned toward him. "It's daytime," I whispered. "Bad things don't happen in the day."**

I could hear the desperation in her voice when she said that, wanting me to tell her that none of this was real. I really wish I could have.

**I heard the desperation in my voice, a little girl's plea that someone would say this was all a bad dream.**

**"Bad things can happen anytime," he told me. "And this didn't happen during the day. This probably happened a couple of nights ago."**

**I dared a peek back at the bodies and felt my stomach twist. Two days. Two days to be dead, to have your existence snuffed out without anyone in the world even knowing you were gone. My eyes fell on a man's body near the room's entrance to a hallway. He was tall, too well-built to be a Moroi. Dimitri must have noticed where I looked.**

**"Arthur Schoenberg," he said.**

**I stared at Arthur's bloody throat. "He's dead," I said, as though it wasn't perfectly obvious. "How can he be dead? How could a Strigoi kill Arthur Schoenberg?" It didn't seem possible. You couldn't kill a legend.**

Janine wanted to say something to Rose, but when she realized the she wasn't listening she kept quiet.

**Dimitri didn't answer. Instead his hand moved down and closed around where my own hand held the stake. I flinched.**

**"Where did you get this?" he asked. I loosened my grip and let him take the stake.**

**"Outside. In the ground."**

**He held up the stake, studying its surface as it shone in the sunlight. "It broke the ward."**

"Roza," I whispered in her ear, "It's over."

"Thanks," she breathed.

"It's ok," I assured her.

**My mind, still stunned, took a moment to process what he'd said. Then I got it. Wards were magic rings cast by Moroi. Like the stakes, they were made using magic from all four of the elements. They required strong Moroi magic-users, often a couple for each element. The wards could block Strigoi because magic was charged with life, and the Strigoi had none. But wards faded quickly and took a lot of maintenance. Most Moroi didn't use them, but certain places kept them up. St. Vladimir's Academy was ringed with several.**

**There had been a ward here, but it had been shattered when someone drove the stake through it. Their magic conflicted with each other; the stake had won.**

**"Strigoi can't touch stakes," I told him. I realized I was using a lot of can't and don't statements. It wasn't easy having your core beliefs challenged. "And no Moroi or dhampir would do it."**

I completely understood how she was feeling at the time.

**"A human might."**

**I met his eyes. "Humans don't help Strigoi," I stopped.**

"Yes they do," she responded sadly.

I knew she was thinking about what happened in Spokane. I knew nothing I said was going to make her feel any better about it so I just pulled her close, kissed her head, and rubbed circles on her belly. She has always felt calmer and overall better at our closeness, and ever since she found out she was pregnant she always found it soothing when I rubbed her stomach. As I expected she calmed down some.

**There it was again. Don't. But I couldn't help it. The one thing we could count on in the fight against Strigoi was their limitations sunlight, ward, stake magic, etc. We used their weaknesses against them. If they had others humans who would help them and weren't affected by those limitations ...**

**Dimitri's face was stern, still ready for anything, but the tiniest spark of sympathy flashed in his dark eyes as he watched me wage my mental battle.**

**"This changes everything, doesn't it?" I asked.**

**"Yeah," he said. "It does."**

"That's the end of the first chapter," Lissa announced, "Who wants to read next?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Academy or any of the characters in the story.

**Chapter 2**

_**Dimitri's POV**_

"I will," Adrian volunteered, "Chapter 2."

**Dimitri made one phone call, and a veritable SWAT team showed up.**

**It took a couple of hours, though, and every minute spent waiting felt like a year. **

Rose is the most impatient person I have ever met.

"You're so impatient," Christian spoke my thoughts.

"Shut up Pyro," Rose replied.

**I finally couldn't take it anymore and returned to the car. Dimitri examined the house further and then came to sit with me. Neither of us said a word while we waited. A slide show of the grisly sights inside the house kept playing in my mind. I felt scared and alone and wished he would hold me or comfort me in some way.**

I pulled her onto my lap, and hugged her.

"I wish I did too," I whispered in her ear.

**Immediately, I scolded myself for wanting that. I reminded myself for the thousandth time that he was my instructor and had no business holding me, no matter what the situation was. Besides, I wanted to be strong. I didn't need to go running to some guy every time things got tough.**

"But I'll be here every time anyway," I assured her.

"Thank you," she smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too," I responded before kissing her.

**When the first group of guardians showed up, Dimitri opened the car door and glanced over at me. "You should see how this is done."**

**I didn't want to see any more of that house, honestly, but I followed anyway.**

"You should have told me," I told her.

"I didn't want to seem like I couldn't handle it," she muttered.

"I would have understood. Most people haven't seen what you saw until they are much older," I explained.

**These guardians were strangers to me, but Dimitri knew them. He always seemed to know everybody. This group was surprised to find a novice on the scene, but none of them protested my presence.**

**I walked behind them as they examined the house. None of them touched anything, but they knelt by the bodies and studied the bloodstains and broken windows. Apparently, the Strigoi had entered the house through more than just the front door and back patio.**

**The guardians spoke in brusque tones, displaying none of the disgust and fear I felt. They were like machines. One of them, the only woman in the group, crouched beside Arthur Schoenberg. I was intrigued since female guardians were so rare. I'd heard Dimitri call her Tamara, and she looked about twenty-five. Her black hair just barely touched her shoulders, which was common for guardian women.**

**Sadness flickered in her gray eyes as she studied the dead guardian's face. "Oh, Arthur," she sighed. Like Dimitri, she managed to convey a hundred things in just a couple words. "Never thought I'd see this day. He was my mentor." With another sigh, Tamara rose.**

**Her face had become all businesslike once more, as though the guy who'd trained her wasn't lying there in front of her. I couldn't believe it. He was her mentor. How could she keep that kind of control? For half a heartbeat, I imagined seeing Dimitri dead on the floor instead. No. No way could I have stayed calm in her place. I would have gone on a rampage. I would have screamed and kicked things. I would have hit anyone who tried to tell me things would be okay.**

"Then again you are in love with your mentor. She wasn't," Adrian teased.

**Fortunately, I didn't believe anyone could actually take down Dimitri.**

Roza looked down, probably remembering me being taken down by the Strigoi.

"It's ok Roza. It's in the past. I'm here now," I reassured her rubbing circles on her stomach.

**I'd seen him kill a Strigoi without breaking a sweat. He was invincible. A badass. A god.**

**Of course, Arthur Schoenberg had been too.**

**"How could they do that?" I blurted out. Six sets of eyes turned to me. I expected a chastising look from Dimitri for my outburst, but he merely appeared curious. "How could they kill him?"**

**Tamara gave a small shrug, her face still composed. "The same way they kill everyone else. He's mortal, just like the rest of us."**

**"Yeah, but he's ... you know, Arthur Schoenberg."**

**"You tell us, Rose," said Dimitri. "You've seen the house. Tell us how they did it."**

**As they all watched me, I suddenly realized I might be undergoing a test after all today. I thought about what I'd observed and heard. I swallowed, trying to figure out how the impossible could be possible.**

**"There were four points of entry, which means at least four Strigoi. There were seven Moroi..." The family who lived here had been entertaining some other people, making the massacre that much larger. Three of the victims had been children.**

Everyone who didn't know the exact details of the attack gasped. Lissa, my mom, and I all held our stomachs protectively, not being able to help the images of our children being in that circumstance.

**"... and three guardians. Too many kills. Four Strigoi couldn't have taken down that many. Six probably could if they went for the guardians first and caught them by surprise. The family would have been too panicked to fight back."**

**"And how did they catch the guardians by surprise?" Dimitri prompted.**

**I hesitated. Guardians, as a general rule, didn't get caught by surprise. "Because the wards were broken. In a household without wards, there'd probably be a guardian walking the yard at night. But they wouldn't have done that here."**

**I waited for the next obvious question about how the wards had been broken. But Dimitri didn't ask it. There was no need. We all knew. We'd all seen the stake. Again, a chill ran down my spine. Humans working with Strigoi¡ªa large group of Strigoi.**

Roza was shaking from the memories of her abduction with the others.

"You're ok Roza. You're not there anymore. I won't let anything like that happen to you again," I promised which seemed to calm her down.

**Dimitri simply nodded as a sign of approval, and the group continued their survey. When we reached a bathroom, I started to avert my gaze. I'd already seen this room with Dimitri earlier and had no wish to repeat the experience. There was a dead man in there, and his dried blood stood out in stark contrast against the white tile. Also, since this room was more interior, it wasn't as cold as the area by the open patio. No preservation. The body didn't smell bad yet, exactly, but it didn't smell right, either.**

"Really Rose? I thought they were going to smell like roses," Christian joked trying to lighten Roza's mood.

Roza smiled at him in gratitude.

**But as I started to turn away, I caught a glimpse of something dark red more brown, really on the mirror. I hadn't noticed it before because the rest of the scene had held all of my attention. There was writing on the mirror, done in blood.**

**Poor, poor Badicas. So few left. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow.**

**Tamara snorted in disgust and turned away from the mirror, studying other details of the bathroom. As we walked out, though, those words repeated in my head. One royal family nearly gone. Others to follow.**

**The Badicas were one of the smaller royal clans, it was true. But it was hardly like those who had been killed here were the last of them. There were probably almost two hundred Badicas left. That wasn't as many as a family like, say, the Ivashkovs. That particular royal family was huge and widespread. **

"That we are," Adrian agreed.

**There were, however, a lot more Badicas than there were some other royals.**

**Like the Dragomirs.**

**Lissa was the only one left.**

"Not anymore," she smiled at Jill and rubbed her big baby bump.

**If the Strigoi wanted to snuff out royal lines, there was no better chance than to go after her. Moroi blood empowered Strigoi, so I understood their desire for that. I supposed specifically targeting royals was simply part of their cruel and sadistic nature. It was ironic that Strigoi would want to tear apart Moroi society, since many of them had once been a part of it.**

**The mirror and its warning consumed me for the rest of our stay at the house, and I found my fear and shock transforming into anger. How could they do this? How could any creature be so twisted and evil that they'd do this to a family that they'd want to wipe out an entire bloodline? How could any creature do this when they'd once been like me and Lissa?**

"Because every little part of the old them before they turned Strigoi is gone," Sonya K. answered sadly.

We both knew what it was like, and understood exactly the way it felt to be Strigoi.

**And thinking of Lissa thinking of Strigoi wanting to wipe out her family too stirred up a dark rage within me.**

"Darkness," the spirit users chorused.

**The intensity of that emotion nearly knocked me over. It was something black and miasmic, swelling and roiling. A storm cloud ready to burst. I suddenly wanted to tear up every Strigoi I could get my hands on.**

**When I finally got into the car to ride back to St. Vladimir's with Dimitri, I slammed the door so hard that it was a wonder it didn't fall off.**

**He glanced at me in surprise. "What's wrong?"**

**"Are you serious?" I exclaimed, incredulous. "How can you ask that? You were there. You saw that."**

**"I did," he agreed. "But I'm not taking it out on the car."**

**I fastened my seat belt and glowered. "I hate them. I hate them all! I wish I'd been there. I would have ripped their throats out!"**

"No I wouldn't have," Roza disagreed with her past-self.

**I was nearly shouting. Dimitri stared at me, face calm, but he was clearly astonished at my outburst.**

I really was. I was not prepared what's so ever for that to happen.

**"You really think that's true?" he asked me. "You think you could have done better than Art Schoenberg after seeing what the Strigoi did in there? After seeing what Natalie did to you?"**

**I faltered.**

"That was mean," Roza pouted.

"Yea," Vik agreed.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I was just trying to get you to see sense," I apologized.

**I'd tangled briefly with Lissa's cousin, Natalie, when she became a Strigoi, just before Dimitri had shown up to save the day. Even as a new Strigoi weak and uncoordinated she'd literally thrown me around the room.**

**I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Suddenly, I felt stupid. I'd seen what Strigoi could do. Me running in impetuously and trying to save the day would have only resulted in a quick death. I was developing into a tough guardian, but I still had a lot to learn and one seventeen-year-old girl couldn't have stood against six Strigoi.**

"You are starting to see how mature you are starting to become Rose," Janine told Rose proudly.

"Thanks," she replied.

**I opened my eyes. "I'm sorry," I said, gaining control of myself. The rage that had exploded inside me diffused. I didn't know where it had come from. I had a short temper and often acted impulsively, but this had been intense and ugly even for me. Weird.**

**"It's okay," said Dimitri. He reached over and placed his hand on mine for a few moments. Then he removed it and started the car. "It's been a long day. For all of us."**

**When we got back to St. Vladimir's Academy around midnight, everyone knew about the massacre. The vampiric school day had just ended, and I hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours. I was bleary-eyed and sluggish, and Dimitri ordered me to immediately go back to my dorm room and get some sleep. He, of course, looked alert and ready to take on anything. Sometimes I really wasn't sure if he slept at all.**

This made me chuckle.

**He headed off to consult with other guardians about the attack, and I promised him I'd go straight to bed. Instead, I turned toward the library once he was out of sight.**

"Of course, it shouldn't surprise me that you didn't listen. You are pretty good at that," I teased.

"Oh hush you," she smiled.

**I needed to see Lissa, and the bond told me that was where she was.**

**It was pitch-black as I walked along the stone walkway that crossed the quad from my dorm to the secondary school's main building. Snow completely covered the grass, but the sidewalk had been meticulously cleared of all ice and snow. It reminded me of the poor Badicas' neglected home.**

**The commons building was large and gothic-looking, more suited to a medieval movie set than a school. Inside, that air of mystery and ancient history continued to permeate the building: elaborate stone walls and antique paintings warring with computers and fluorescent lights. Modern technology had a foothold here, but it would never dominate.**

**Slipping through the library's electronic gate, I immediately headed for one of the back corners where geography and travel books were kept. Sure enough, I found Lissa sitting there on the floor, leaning against a bookcase.**

**"Hey," she said, looking up from an open book propped up on one knee. She brushed a few strands of pale hair out of her face. Her boyfriend, Christian, lay on the floor near her, his head propped up on her other knee. He greeted me by way of a nod. Considering the antagonism that sometimes flared up between us, that was almost on par with him giving me a bear hug.**

"That is so true," Lissa agreed while we all laughed.

**Despite her small smile, I could feel the tension and fear in her; it sang through the bond.**

**"You heard," I said, sitting down cross-legged.**

**Her smile slipped, and the feelings of fear and unease within her intensified. I liked that our psychic connection let me protect her better, but I didn't really need my own troubled feelings amplified.**

Lissa began to apologize before Rose stopped her.

"Don't. I know you didn't mean to, but I know you couldn't help it," she explained.

**"It's awful," she said with a shudder. Christian shifted and linked his fingers through hers. He squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. Those two were so in love and sugary sweet with each other that I felt like brushing my teeth after being around them. They were subdued just now, however, no doubt thanks to the massacre news. "They're saying...they're saying there were six or seven Strigoi. And that humans helped them break the wards."**

**I leaned my head back against a shelf. News really did travel fast. Suddenly, I felt dizzy. "It's true."**

**"Really?" asked Christian. "I figured that was just a bunch of hyped-up paranoia."**

**"No ..." I realized then that nobody knew where I'd been today. "I... I was there."**

**Lissa's eyes widened, shock coursing into me from her. Even Christian the poster child for "smartass"**

"Aww thanks Rose," Christian replied placing a hand over his heart.

**looked grim. If not for the horribleness of it all, I would have taken satisfaction in catching him off guard.**

**"You're joking," he said, voice uncertain.**

**"I thought you were taking your Qualifier..." Lissa's words trailed off.**

**"I was supposed to," I said. "It was just a wrong-place-and-wrong-time kind of thing. The guardian who was going to give me the test lived there. Dimitri and I walked in, and..."**

**I couldn't finish. Images of the blood and death that had filled the Badica house flashed through my mind again. Concern crossed both Lissa's face and the bond.**

I knew Roza was trying her best to not see the images. So far she seems to be doing a pretty good job.

**"Rose, are you okay?" she asked softly.**

**Lissa was my best friend, but I didn't want her to know how scared and upset the whole thing had made me. I wanted to be fierce.**

**"Fine," I said, teeth clenched.**

**"What was it like?" asked Christian. Curiosity filled his voice, but there was guilt there too like he knew it was wrong to want to know about such a horrible thing. He couldn't stop himself from asking, though. Lack of impulse control was one thing we had in common.**

"You admitted to having something in common with Christian," Lissa teased.

Rose stuck her tongue out at her. Lissa and I have so many problems with Christian and Rose fighting, even though they say it isn't fighting. We have pretty much given up. We will let them fight until we think it is time for us to step in.

**"It was ..." I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it."**

**Christian started to protest, and then Lissa ran a hand through his sleek black hair. The gentle admonishment silenced him. A moment of awkwardness hung between us all. Reading Lissa's mind, I felt her desperately grope for a new topic.**

**"They say this is going to mess up all of the holiday visits," she told me after several more moments. "Christian's aunt is going to visit,**

Tasha looked smug, but after the glare I sent her the look was wiped off her face.

**but most people don't want to travel, and they want their kids to stay here where it's safe. They're terrified this group of Strigoi is on the move."**

**I hadn't thought about the ramifications of an attack like this. We were only a week or so away from Christmas. Usually, there was a huge wave of travel in the Moroi world this time of year. Students went home to visit their parents; parents came to stay on campus and visit their children.**

**"This is going to keep a lot of families separated," I murmured.**

**"And mess up a lot of royal get-togethers," said Christian. His brief seriousness had vanished; his snide air was back. "You know how they are this time of year always competing with each other to throw the biggest parties. They won't know what to do with themselves."**

**I could believe it. My life was about fighting, but the Moroi certainly had their share of internal strife particularly with nobles and royals. They waged their own battles with words and political alliances, and honestly, I preferred the more direct method of hitting and kicking. Lissa and Christian in particular had to navigate some troubled waters. They were both from royal families, which meant they got a lot of attention both inside and outside of the Academy.**

**Things were worse for them than for most Moroi royals. Christian's family lived under the shadow cast by his parents. They had purposely become Strigoi, trading their magic and morality to become immortal and subsist on killing others. His parents were dead now, but that didn't stop people from not trusting him. They seemed to think he'd go Strigoi at any moment and take everyone else with him. His abrasiveness and dark sense of humor didn't really help things, either.**

**Lissa's attention came from being the last one left in her family. No other Moroi had enough Dragomir blood in them to earn the name. Her future husband would probably have enough somewhere in his family tree to make sure her children were Dragomirs, but for now, being the only one made her kind of a celebrity.**

**Thinking about this suddenly reminded me of the warning scrawled on the mirror. Nausea welled up in me. That dark anger and despair stirred, but I pushed it aside with a joke.**

"Rose you always make everything into a joke," Eddie laughed.

"Shut up, Eddie," Rose retorted.

**"You guys should try solving your problems like we do. A fistfight here and there might do you royals some good."**

**Both Lissa and Christian laughed at this. He glanced up at her with a sly smile, showing his fangs as he did. "What do you think? I bet I could take you if we went one on one."**

**"You wish," she teased. Her troubled feelings lightened.**

**"I do, actually," he said, holding her gaze.**

**There was an intensely sensual note to his voice that made her heart race. Jealousy shot through me. **

"Not a word Fire-crotch," Rose warned.

**She and I had been best friends our entire life. I could read her mind. But the fact remained: Christian was a huge part of her world now, and he played a role I never could just as he could never have a part of the connection that existed between me and her. We both sort of accepted but didn't like the fact that we had to split her attention, and at times, it seemed the truce we held for her sake was paper thin.**

"Isn't that the truth," Lissa mumbled.

**Lissa brushed her hand against his cheek. "Behave."**

**"I am," he told her, his voice still a little husky. "Sometimes. But sometimes you don't want me to..."**

"Ewww," all the younger girls exclaimed.

Lissa turned bright red with embarrassment.

**Groaning, I stood up. "God. I'm going to leave you guys alone now."**

**Lissa blinked and dragged her eyes away from Christian, suddenly looking embarrassed.**

**"Sorry," she murmured. A delicate pink flush spread over her cheeks. Since she was pale like all Moroi, it actually sort of made her look prettier. Not that she needed much help in that department. "You don't have to go..."**

**"No, it's fine. I'm exhausted," I assured her. Christian didn't look too broken up about seeing me leave.**

"Of course not," Christian joked.

"Asshole," Rose responded.

"Rose…" scolded.

"Christian," Lissa chastised.

"It doesn't matter who started it," I stopped Rose before she said anything, "You can end it."

"That goes for you to Christian," Lissa replied.

"Fine," Christian and Rose grumbled.

**"I'll catch you tomorrow."**

**I started to turn away, but Lissa called to me. "Rose? Are you...are you sure you're okay? After everything that happened?"**

**I met her jade green eyes. Her concern was so strong and deep that it made my chest ache. I might be closer to her than anyone else in the world, but I didn't want her worrying about me. It was my job to keep her safe. She shouldn't be troubled about protecting me particularly if Strigoi had suddenly decided to make a hit list of royals.**

**I flashed her a saucy grin. "I'm fine. Nothing to worry about except you guys tearing each other's clothes before I get a chance to leave."**

**"Then you better go now," said Christian dryly.**

**She elbowed him, and I rolled my eyes. "Good night," I told them.**

**As soon as my back was to them, my smile vanished. I walked back to my dorm with a heavy heart, hoping I wouldn't dream about the Badicas tonight.**

I pulled Roza closer in comfort.

"That's the end of the chapter," Adrian announced, "Who's next?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_**Rose's POV**_

"I will," Mia offered, "Chapter 3."

**The lobby of my dorm was abuzz when I sprinted downstairs to my before-school practice. The commotion didn't surprise me. A good night's sleep had gone far to chase away the images from last night, but I knew neither I nor my classmates would easily forget what had taken place outside Billings.**

**And yet, as I studied the faces and clusters of other novices, I noticed something weird. The fear and tension from yesterday were still around, certainly, but something new was there too: excitement. A couple of freshmen novices were practically squealing with joy as they spoke in hushed whispers. Nearby, a group of guys my own age were gesturing wildly, enthusiastic grins on their faces.**

**I had to be missing something here unless all of yesterday had been a dream. It took every ounce of self-control**

"And that's not much," Christian joked.

I just stuck my tongue out at him.

**I had not to go over and ask somebody what was happening. If I delayed, I'd be late for practice. The curiosity was killing me, though. Had the Strigoi and their humans been found and killed? That would certainly be good news, but something told me that wasn't the case. Pushing open the front doors, I lamented that I'd just have to wait until breakfast to find out.**

**"Hath-away, don't run-away," a singsong voice called.**

Everyone laughed.

"Must be Mason," Eddie said.

**I glanced behind me and grinned. Mason Ashford, another novice and a good friend of mine, jogged up and fell in step with me.**

**"What are you, twelve?" I asked, continuing on toward the gym.**

**"Nearly," he said. "I missed your smiling face yesterday. Where were you?"**

**Apparently my presence at the Badica house still wasn't widely known. It wasn't a secret or anything, but I didn't want to discuss any gory details. "Had a training thing with Dimitri."**

**"God," muttered Mason. "That guy is always working you.**

"He's working you alright," Adrian teased.

"Shut up," I told him feeling my face heat up. I buried my face in Dimitri's chest to hide my blush, and I felt his chest rumble from his chuckle.

**Doesn't he realize he's depriving us of your beauty and charm?"**

**"Smiling face? Beauty and charm? You're laying it on a little thick this morning, aren't you?" I laughed.**

**"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is. Really, you're lucky to have someone as suave and brilliant as me paying this much attention to you."**

**I kept grinning. Mason was a huge flirt, and he liked to flirt with me in particular. Part of it was just because I was good at it and liked to flirt back. But I knew his feelings toward me were more than just friendly, and I was still deciding how I felt about that. He and I had the same goofy sense of humor and frequently drew attention to ourselves in class and among friends. He had gorgeous blue eyes and messy red hair that never seemed to lie flat. It was cute.**

**But dating someone new was going to be kind of difficult when I still kept thinking about the time I was half-naked in bed with Dimitri.**

I moaned into his chest because of the images of him naked in bed with me, and all the amazing things he does to me.

"Later," Dimitri whispered into my ear.

Later couldn't come fast enough. I groaned making him chuckle.

**"Suave and brilliant, huh?" I shook my head. "I don't think you pay nearly as much attention to me as you do your ego. Someone needs to knock it down a little."**

**"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Well, you can try your best on the slopes."**

**I stopped walking. "The what?"**

"He said the slopes Little Dhampir," Adrian teased.

"Yea I got that," I replied.

"You asked," he laughed.

**"The slopes." He tilted his head. "You know, the ski trip."**

**"What ski trip?" I was apparently missing something serious here.**

"Wow for once Rose wasn't the first to know something," Eddie joked.

"I was busy," I answered.

"With what?" he asked.

"Sleep," retorted.

"Should have known, the only thing that keeps you from anything is sleep and food," he jested.

"Hey," I exclaimed throwing a pillow at his head making him laugh as he dodged it.

**"Where have you been this morning?" he asked, looking at me like I was a crazy woman.**

"That's because you are crazy Rosie," Christian stated with a smile on his face letting me know he was just messing with me.

"I think you are mistaken me for yourself, _Chrissy_," I returned with a glare, "Don't call me Rosie again!"

I threw a pillow at his head, but since he didn't have as fast reflexes as Dhampirs he hit him in the face.

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

I couldn't help but burst into laughter. He threw the pillow back at me, but I knocked it out of the way before it hit me.

"It's not that funny," Christian couldn't help but to chuckle at my laughter after I accidently snorted.

"Christian!"

"Rose!" Dimitri and Lissa exclaimed at the same time.

"We are just messing with each other. She knows I'm not serious. She's my little sister. This is what brothers and sisters do to each other," he reasoned.

"Yea, stop being such party-poopers," I pouted while poking Dimitri's nose before he grabbed it.

It's true. Christian and I became closer after everything in Spokane, and even more since then. He's the big brother I never had. Even if we get on each other's nerves, and give each other a hard time we love each other like siblings. We know that the other person doesn't actually mean what we said.

**"In bed! I only got up, like, five minutes ago. Now, start from the beginning and tell me what you're talking about." I shivered from the lack of movement. "And let's keep walking." We did.**

**"So, you know how everyone's afraid to have their kids come home for Christmas? Well, there's this huge ski lodge in Idaho that's exclusively used by royals and rich Moroi.**

"FINALLY!" Adrian yelled.

"What?" everyone asked.

"I'm finally going to be in the story soon," he expounded.

"How do you know it's now?" Sydney asked.

"Rose meets me at the ski lodge," he clarified.

**The people who own it are opening it up for Academy students and their families and actually any other Moroi who want to go. With everyone in one spot, they're going to have a ton of guardians to protect the place, so it'll be totally safe."**

**"You can't be serious," I said.**

"Very serious," Eddie retorted moving before the pillow I threw at him hit him, "Where are you getting all these damn pillows?"

"Not telling," I answered crossing my arms above my baby bump, and shaking my head, "So you guys yell at me for my language but not him."

Dimitri chuckled at my pout.

"We aren't his parents," my mom answered.

"Or his boyfriend," Dimitri added.

"Or future in-laws," Olena inserted.

"You guys are already my in-laws. Actually I consider you guys closer than in-laws, but that isn't even fair," I countered.

"That means we aren't in charge of him," mom explained.

"Fine if you aren't going to yell at anyone else for their language then you can't yell at me for mine," I retorted stubbornly.

"Yes we can," Dimitri rejected my idea.

I looked at him with my puppy dog/pouty face.

"Ughhh fine. Eddie language," Dimitri mock scolded.

"That wasn't even a real scolding, and you were supposed to go with the not scolding us choice," I whined.

"Roza…" Dimitri started.

"No," I stomped my foot in a tantrum like fashion.

"If you stop now then I will give you more pleasure tonight than you have ever received before," he whispered in my ear.

That's not even fair. He knows how horny I get with these hormones.

"Fine," I pouted.

**We reached the gym and stepped inside out of the cold.**

**Mason nodded eagerly. "It's true. The place is supposed to be amazing." He gave me the grin that always made me smile in return. "We're going to live like royalty, Rose. At least for a week or so. We take off the day after Christmas."**

**I stood there, both excited and stunned. I hadn't seen this coming. It really was a brilliant idea, one that let families reunite safely. And what a reunion spot! A royal ski lodge. I'd expected to spend most of my holiday break hanging out here and watching TV with Lissa and Christian. Now I'd be living it up in five-star accommodations. Lobster dinners. Massages. Cute ski instructors ...**

"Only Rose," Eddie chuckled.

"Actually that would be girls in general," I responded.

**Mason's enthusiasm was contagious. I could feel it welling up in me, and then, suddenly, it slammed to a halt.**

**Studying my face, he saw the change right away. "What's wrong? This is cool."**

**"It is," I admitted. "And I get why everyone's excited, but the reason we're getting to go to this fancy place is because, well, because people are dead. I mean, doesn't this all seem weird?"**

"You can't just stop living because someone dies," Alberta said.

"I know, but still," was my brilliant explanation.

**Mason's cheery expression sobered a little. "Yeah, but we're alive, Rose. We can't stop living because other people are dead. And we have to make sure more people don't die. That's why this place is such a great idea. It's safe." His eyes turned stormy. "God, I can't wait until we're out of here in the field. After hearing about what happened, I just want to go tear apart some Strigoi. I wish we could go now, you know? There's no reason. They could use the extra help, and we pretty much know everything we need to."**

"Yes we do Mase," I stated sadly.

Dimitri pulled me to him to comfort me.

**The fierceness in his voice reminded me of my outburst yesterday, though he wasn't quite as worked up as I'd been. His eagerness to act was impetuous and naive, whereas mine had been born out of some weird, dark irrationality I still didn't entirely understand.**

"Darkness," the spirit users replied sadly.

**When I didn't respond, Mason gave me a puzzled look. "Don't you want to?"**

**"I don't know, Mase." I stared down at the floor, avoiding his eyes as I studied the toe of my shoe. "I mean, I don't want Strigoi out there, attacking people either. And I want to stop them in theory... but, well, we aren't even close to being ready. I've seen what they can do I don't know. Rushing in isn't the answer." I shook my head and looked back up.**

"You've became very mature Rose," my mom told me proudly.

"Thanks, but it was Dimitri's doing," I explained.

"No, it was you. I may have helped, but I couldn't change you that much without you wanting it yourself," Dimitri said.

**Good grief. I sounded so logical and cautious. I sounded like Dimitri.**

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," I replied.

**"It's not important since it's not going to happen anyway. I suppose we should just be excited about the trip, huh?"**

**Mason's moods were quick to change, and he turned easygoing once more. "Yup. And you'd better try to remember how to ski, because I'm calling you out on knocking down my ego out there. Not that it's going to happen."**

**I smiled again. "Boy, it sure is going to be sad when I make you cry. I kind of feel guilty already."**

**He opened his mouth, no doubt to deliver some smartass reply, and then caught sight of something or rather, someone behind me.**

"Dimitri," everyone chorused.

"How did know?" I gasped sarcastically.

**I glanced over and saw Dimitri's tall form approaching from the other side of the gym.**

**Mason swept me a gallant bow. "Your lord and master. Catch you later, Hathaway. Start planning your ski strategies." He opened the door and disappeared into the frigid darkness. I turned around and joined Dimitri.**

**Like other dhampir novices, I spent half of my school day on one form or another of guardian training, be it actual physical combat or learning about Strigoi and how to defend against them. Novices also sometimes had practices after school. I, however, was in a unique situation.**

"Because no one else took a 2 year 'vacation'," my mom stated.

"I know, okay. Can you guys stop giving me a hard time about it? It's in the past, and I have made up for it. Damn," I snapped.

I glared at everyone before anyone could scold me about my language. They closed their mouths not wanting to make my mood any worse with the hormones, and not wanting to risk the charmed ring not working and making the darkness take over.

**I still stood by my decision to run away from St. Vladimir's. Victor Dashkov had posed too much of a threat to Lissa. But our extended vacation had come with consequences. Being away for two years had put me behind in my guardian classes, so the school had declared that I had to make up for it by going to extra practices before and after school.**

**With Dimitri.**

**Little did they know that they were also giving me lessons in avoiding temptation.**

This made everyone laugh.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, "You guys try to practicing with a hot sex god who gives me immense amounts of pleas…."

"STOP! LALALALA!" Vik screamed over me.

"I don't need to know what my daughter does with her boyfriend in their privacy," Abe stated.

"You guys already know we have had sex," I replied.

"I can still pretend that you didn't," he explained.

"Really. Then how do you think I got pregnant? Can't do it by myself," I countered, "I think you already know how this works, but in case you don't let me explain. See when a man and a woman love each other…"

"They don't have to love each other," Eddie supplied.

"Good point Eddie, thanks. See the man has to put his…" I started.

"I know," Abe interrupted, "Ok there is no denying you guys have had sex, but it doesn't mean I want to know about it. You're my daughter I don't want to hear about it. That's one topic I will willingly stay in the dark, and be naive about. You will understand when your baby grows up."

"Actually moms and daughters normally like to talk about that so she probably won't," Janine cut in.

"Fine, Dimitri will know," Abe said.

"If we have a daughter she won't be having sex with anyone. She will be locked away where no man to get to her," Dimitri provided.

"You will do no such thing to my baby," I argued.

"Your baby?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes when he or she is being good, or you are being mean to them then it is my baby. When they are being bad it's your baby," I explained.

"I'm not being mean," he retorted.

"Yes you are, talking about locking my poor baby away," I murmured getting upset. Stupid hormones.

"I'm sorry Roza. I won't lock her away," he comforted me.

"You better not," I demanded.

**But my attraction to him aside, I was a fast learner, and with his help, I had almost caught up to the other seniors.**

**Since he wasn't wearing a coat, I knew we'd be working inside today, which was good news. It was freezing out. Yet even the happiness I felt over that was nothing compared to what I felt when I saw what exactly he had set up in one of the training rooms.**

**There were practice dummies arranged on the far wall, dummies that looked amazingly lifelike. No straw-stuffed burlap bags here. There were men and women, wearing ordinary clothes, with rubbery skin and different hair and eye colors. Their expressions ranged from happy to scared to angry. I'd worked with these dummies before in other trainings, using them to practice kicks and punches. But I'd never worked with them while holding what Dimitri held: a silver stake.**

"You are actually going to get to use a stake?" Eddie asked.

"No. Dimitri was being a meanie," I replied.

"I was not. I asked you to show me where the heart was, and you couldn't tell me where it was," he explained.

"How do you not know where the heart is?" Christian asked.

"Yea. You've broke plenty of them," Adrian chuckled.

I couldn't help, but to start crying. I thought he forgave me, and that we were friends again.

"Rose. Don't cry, why are you crying?" Adrian panicked not use to crying Rose yet.

"I thought you for-forgave m-me," I sobbed.

"What?" he asked.

"I thought yo-you for-forgave me for-or what I-I did-id be-before we broke-oke up. I thought-ought we were-re fri-friends-ends again-in," I bawled.

"Forgave you for what? You and Dimitri? I did," Adrian replied.

"Then-en why-y did-id you-ou say-ay that-at," I blubbered.

"I was joking," he explained walking over to me. He squatted in front me grabbing my face to make me look at him. "I forgave you Little Dhampir. I was just kidding. I didn't mean it. I can't stay mad at you no matter how hard I try because I care too much about you, and I can't lose you as my friend. I forgave you, and I have moved on from it. It's in the past, and that's where it's going to stay. You are my friend."

"And you aren't just saying that so I stop crying?" I asked.

"No. I mean it. I forgive you, and you are my friend. Do you understand me?" he asked.

I nodded hiccupping.

"Good now come here," he told me pulling me into a hug.

"Because I really am sorry, and I never meant to hurt you," I said.

"I know. I forgave you a long time ago. It's in the past, and that's where I'm leaving it. Ok?" he questioned.

"Ok," I agreed.

"What was that…" Mia asked before Adrian cut her off with a shake of his head.

"**Sweet," I breathed.**

**It was identical to the one I'd found at the Badica house. It had a hand grip at the bottom, almost like a hilt without the little side flourishes. That was where its resemblance to a dagger ended. Rather than a flat blade, the stake had a thick, rounded body that narrowed to a point, kind of like an ice pick. The entire thing was a little shorter than my forearm.**

**Dimitri leaned casually against the wall, in an easy stance he always pulled off remarkably well, despite being almost six-seven. With one hand, he tossed the stake into the air. It spun around in a cartwheel a couple of times and then came down. He caught it hilt first.**

**"Please tell me I get to learn how to do that today," I said.**

**Amusement flashed in the dark depths of his eyes. I think he had a hard time keeping a straight face around me sometimes.**

"Try just about all the time," Dimitri laughed.

"Hey!" I exclaimed smacking his chest.

**"You'll be lucky if I let you hold it today," he said. He flipped the stake into the air again. My eyes followed it longingly. I started to point out that I had already held one, but I knew that line of logic would get me nowhere.**

"Very true," Dimitri commented.

**Instead, I tossed my backpack on the floor, threw off my coat, and crossed my arms expectantly. I had on loose pants tied at the waist and a tank top with a hoodie over it. My dark hair was pulled brutally back into a ponytail. I was ready for anything.**

**"You want me to tell you how they work and why I should always be cautious around them," I announced.**

**Dimitri stopped flipping the stake and stared at me in astonishment.**

"What? It's not that hard to figure out. I can read you like an open book. Plus you did that with every lesson we had," I explained.

**"Come on," I laughed. "You don't think I know how you work by now? We've been doing this for almost three months. You always make me talk safety and responsibility before I can do anything fun."**

**"I see," he said. "Well, I guess you've got it all figured out. By all means, go on with the lesson. I'll just wait over here until you need me again."**

**He tucked the stake into a leather sheath hanging from his belt and then made himself comfortable against the wall, hands stuffed in pockets. I waited, figuring he was joking, but when he said nothing else, I realized he'd meant his words. With a shrug, I launched into what I knew.**

**"Silver always has powerful effects on any magical creature it can help or hurt them if you put enough power into it. These stakes are really hard-core because it takes four different Moroi to make them, and they use each of the elements during the forging." I frowned, suddenly considering something. "Well, except spirit. So these things are supercharged and are about the only non-decapitating weapon that can do damage to a Strigoi but to kill them, it has to be through the heart."**

**"Will they hurt you?"**

**I shook my head. "No.**

"Yes," all the Dhampirs said.

"Will you guys wait a second?" I asked.

**I mean, well, yeah, if you drive one through my heart it will, but it won't hurt me like it would a Moroi. Scratch one of them with this, and it'll hit them pretty hard but not as hard as it'd hit a Strigoi. And they won't hurt humans, either."**

**I stopped for a moment and stared absentmindedly at the window behind Dimitri. Frost covered the glass in sparkling, crystalline patterns, but I hardly noticed. Mentioning humans and stakes had transported me back to the Badica house. Blood and death flashed through my thoughts.**

Dimitri rubbed my back comfortingly to keep those bad memories away.

**Seeing Dimitri watching me, I shook off the memories and kept going with the lesson. Dimitri would occasionally give a nod or ask a clarifying question. As the time ticked down, I kept expecting him to tell me I was finished and could start hacking up the dummies.**

"Of course I wouldn't do that," he admonished.

**Instead, he waited until almost ten minutes before the end of our session before leading me over to one of them it was a man with blond hair and a goatee. Dimitri took the stake out from its sheath but didn't hand it to me.**

**"Where are you going to put this?" he asked.**

**"In the heart," I replied irritably. "I already told you that like a hundred times. Can I have it now?"**

**He allowed himself a smile.**

"I love it when you smile," I stated dreamily.

"I'll make sure to smile more then," he replied with a smile.

**"Where's the heart?"**

**I gave him an are-you-serious look.**

"Evidently he needed to ask because you didn't know," Christian teased.

"It's not my fault. Remember we took a 2 year vacation? We missed learning about the anatomy," I reasoned.

**He merely shrugged.**

**With overdramatic emphasis, I pointed to the left side of the dummy's chest. Dimitri shook his head.**

**"That's not where the heart is," he told me.**

**"Sure it is. People put their hands over their hearts when they say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the national anthem."**

**He continued to stare at me expectantly.**

**I turned back to the dummy and studied it. In the back of my brain, I remembered learning CPR and where we had to place our hands. I tapped the center of the dummy's chest.**

**"Is it here?"**

**He arched an eyebrow. Normally I thought that was cool. Today it was just annoying.**

This made everybody laugh.

**"I don't know," he said. "Is it?"**

**"That's what I'm asking you!"**

"You shouldn't have to ask him," Janine stated.

"I know," I replied with a little bit of attitude.

**"You shouldn't have to ask me. Don't you all have to take physiology?"**

**"Yeah. Junior year. I was on 'vacation,' remember?" I pointed to the gleaming stake. "Can I please touch it now?"**

**He flipped the stake again, letting it flash in the light, and then it disappeared in the sheath. "I want you to tell me where the heart is the next time we meet. Exactly where. And I want to know what's in the way of it too."**

**I gave him my fiercest glare, which judging from his expression must not have been that fierce.**

"It was fierce all right, but it didn't scare me," I told me which earned him a glare.

**Nine out of ten times, I thought Dimitri was the sexiest thing walking the earth.**

"Thanks," he said.

**Then, there were times like this ...**

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

I just gave him a shrug.

**I headed off to first period, a combat class, in a bad mood. I didn't like looking incompetent in front of Dimitri, and I'd really, really wanted to use one of those stakes. So in class I took out my annoyance on anyone I could punch or kick. By the end of class, no one wanted to spar with me. I'd accidentally hit Meredith one of the few other girls in my class so hard that she'd felt it through her shin padding.**

"Ouch," everyone winced.

"Yeah, I remember that day. I was pretty sore the next morning thanks to you," Eddie commented.

"Sorry," I apologized.

**She was going to have an ugly bruise and kept looking at me as though I'd done it on purpose. I apologized to no avail.**

**Afterward, Mason found me once again. "Oh, man," he said, studying my face. "Who pissed you off?"**

**I immediately launched into my tale of silver stake and heart woes.**

**To my annoyance, he laughed. "How do you not know where the heart is? Especially considering how many of them you've broken?"**

**I gave him the same ferocious look I'd given Dimitri. This time, it worked. Mason's face paled.**

"See it works. The difference is he was scared of you, I wasn't," Dimitri cut in earning him another glare from me.

**"Belikov is a sick, evil man who should be thrown into a pit of rabid vipers for the great offense he committed against you this morning."**

"Rabid vipers?" Dimitri asked chuckling.

"Shut up Comrade," I demanded.

**"Thank you." I said primly. Then, I considered. "Can vipers be rabid?"**

**"I don't see why not. Everything can be. I think." He held the hallway door open for me. "Canadian geese might be worse than vipers, though."**

**I gave him a sidelong look. "Canadian geese are deadlier than vipers?"**

**"You ever tried to feed those little bastards?" he asked, attempting seriousness and failing. "They're vicious. You get thrown to vipers, you die quickly. But the geese? That'll go on for days. More suffering."**

**"Wow. I don't know whether I should be impressed or frightened that you've thought about all this," I remarked.**

**"Just trying to find creative ways to avenge your honor, that's all."**

**"You just never struck me as the creative type, Mase."**

**We stood just outside our second-period classroom. Mason's expression was still light and joking, but there was a suggestive note in his voice when he spoke again. "Rose, when I'm around you, I think of all sorts of creative things to do."**

**I was still giggling about the vipers and abruptly stopped, staring at him in surprise. I'd always thought Mason was cute, but with that serious, smoky look in his eyes, it suddenly occurred to me for the first time that he was actually kind of sexy.**

Dimitri growled not liking the idea of me thinking about other guys like that, which I could understand, but still.

"Oh, hush you," I scolded.

**"Oh, look at that," he laughed, noticing how much he'd caught me off guard. "Rose gets rendered speechless. Ashford 1, Hathaway 0."**

**"Hey, I don't want to make you cry before the trip. It won't be any fun if I've already broken you before we even hit the slopes."**

**He laughed, and we stepped into the room. This was a class on bodyguard theory, one that took place in an actual classroom instead of the practice field. It was a nice break from all the physical exertion. Today, there were three guardians standing at the front who weren't from the school's regiment.**

"No," my mom groaned, "Please don't tell me this is the part that I think it is."

"I think it is," I responded.

**Holiday visitors, I realized. Parents and their guardians had already started coming to campus to accompany their children to the ski resort. My interest was piqued immediately.**

**One of the guests was a tall guy who looked like he was about a hundred years old but could still kick major ass. The other guy was about Dimitri's age. He had deeply tanned skin and was built well enough that a few of the girls in class looked ready to swoon.**

**The last guardian was a woman. Her auburn hair was cropped and curly, and her brown eyes were currently narrowed in thought. As I've said, a lot of dhampir women choose to have children rather than follow the guardian path. Since I too was one of the few women in this profession, I was always excited to meet others like Tamara.**

**Only, this wasn't Tamara. This was someone I'd known for years, someone who triggered anything but pride and excitement. Instead, I felt resentment. Resentment, anger, and burning outrage.**

**The woman standing in front of the class was my mother.**

"We didn't have a good relationship back then which is why I felt that, but we have moved on and have an amazing mother/daughter relationship," I explained.

"I know sweetie," she responded.

"Well that's the end of the chapter," Mia announced, "Who's next?"

**AN: **So I don't know if any of you have realized this yet or not, but my Reading Vampire Academy story was taken down by the administrator or whoever. I am starting to repost it as I'm fixing the chapters. I just wanted to inform any of you in case you favorited it before, and you wanted to favorite it again. I will be posting between 3-5 chapters a day every day, HOPEFULLY, until it's all posted. I may not be able to get that many done every day, or I could not get a chance one day to do it, but they are all saved on my computer now so I just have to go in, change a few things, then repost. I have 3 other stories that do not include either that story or this one that I have been trying to write the next chapters to, and I've been really busy. So I might go a little bit time, hopefully no longer than a few days to a week, without being able to post a chapter for any of my stories. I just got back from my honeymoon, and my husband and I just bought our own house so we are in the process of moving which is why I haven't updated in a while. So I'm sorry you had to wait so long for an update, and I hope to have the next chapter up within the next few days. Please review and let me know what you think about the chapter. The next chapter will probably be in a different person's POV, but I don't know who's yet. If there is anyone's in particular you want to read then just review and let me know.


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